Means for lubricating reverse gears



Aug. 11, 1925.

M. H. ROBERTS MEANS FOR LUBRIGATING REVERSE GEARS Filed March 21, 1922 WITNESS vMt)1 1'Cl..ll.G"lTE H. ROBERTS, F ENGLEWOOD, NEW

RAHJWAY SUPPLY JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO IRANKLIIW COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

MEANS FOR LUBBICATING REVERSE GEARS.

Application filed March 21, 1922. Serial No. 545,475.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it k 11own that l, MoN'rAoUn H. BOB- nn'rs, a cltlzen of the United States, residing at Englewood, in the county of Bergen and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Lubricating Reverse Gears, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to means for lubricating reverse ears and is particularly useful in connection with the power reverse gears used on steam locomotives. Heretofore, no practical way has been found for lubricating such power reverse gears without scoring the packings and the practice has been to till the power cylinder with a quart or two of lubricating oil when the device is applied and at such times as it may be overhauled. This method of lubrication is relatively unsatisfactory for the reason that the top of the piston runs dry and the lower portion, at least temporarily, runs too wet, which is a serious disadvantage where leather packings are used. Furthermore, the piston runs entirely dry very frequently, particularly where the period between overhaulings is long. As a result the operation of the reverse gears had not been as eficient as it might be and the wear on the parts has been relatively excessive.

I propose to overcome the foregoing difficulties by providing an improved, simple and effective means whereby lubricant may be readily supplied to the interior of the power cylinder. Another object of my invention is to provide a lubricating means which may be readily adapted to existing reverse gears.-

Still another object of my invention is to provide a means which at the same time will serve for the introduction of lubricant and for the prevention of creeping, as will further appear.

l accomplish the foregoing, together with such other objects as may hereinafter appear, or are incident to my invention by means of a construction which I have illustrated in preferred form in the accompanyin drawings, wherein:

hig. 1 is a partial side elevation and section through the motor parts of a reverse gear such as shown and described in my copending application Serial No. 448,044, tiled February 26, 1921; Fig. 2 is a corresponding view illustrating the application or my improvements to a reverse gear of the combination lever type, such for example, as the Ragonnet gear; Fig. '3 is a section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Referring now to Figs. 1 and 3, only those parts are shown and Will be described which are necessary to an understandin of my in vention. The reference number indicates the power cylinder which may be attached to the side of the locomotive in any preferred manner, and the reference letter 8 indicates the piston, such piston having a hollow piston rod 9 provided with an eye 10 at its forward end for connection with the reversing or lift arm through the medium of a suitable reach or connecting rod, not shown. Threaded into the piston is a screw 11 which is connected to the slide valve 12 controlling the admission to and exhaust of steam from the cylinder by means of the tongue 13, as fully shown and described in the aforesaid copending application. The screw 11 is rotated manually from the cab for reversing and adjustin out off by means (not shown) adapted to e coupled to the joint let.

Within the hollow piston rod 9 and surroundin the end of the screw 11 is a tubular mom or 15 which serves not only to balance the pressures on the screw 11 but also as a receptacle for lubricating grease or the like, the tube being filled with such lubricant when the parts are assembled. Such parts thereafter require no additional lubrication.

The piston is preferably packed with two cup leathers, and between such cup leathers,

the piston is provided with a peripheral groove 16. A plurality ofducts or ports 17-preferably three in number-connect the upper portion of this groove with the space in the hollow piston 9, i. e., the space between the piston and the tube 15. A. port 18 is drilled through the wall of the piston 9 at the forward end and through this port lubricant may be fed into the piston 9, the lubricant working up through the ports 17 to the upper portion of the groove 16, thereby lubricating the cylinder wall, and consequently the piston. The lubricant works down the surfaces which are thus substantially uniformly lubricated. At the same time the groove 16, the ports 17, the hollow piston 9 and the port 18 constitute a means for establishing communication between the atmosphere and the space between the two cup leather packings. Any pressure which leaks from the pressure compartments of the cylinder past the respective cup leather packings, will vent itself to the atmosphere and will not be displaced from one side of the piston to the other. Thus creeping of the piston, which usually comes about because of the displacement of ressure from one side to the other of the piston, is avoided.

In the construction shown in Fig. 2, my improvements are applied to a gear such as the Ragonnet, by substituting a hollow piston 9 for the solid iston usually employed in gears of a com ination lever type, an by providing the piston with the groove 16 and the port or ports 17, before described. The piston 9 is drilled at 18 and fitted with a small oil pipe 19 leading rearwardly and discharging into the space communicating with the duct 17 the inner end of the pipe being supported by the plug 20. The reference numeral 21 indicates the usual combination lever connected to the piston rod by means of the members 22 and 23.

What I claim is:

A power reverse gear of the servo governor ty including a piston and cylinder and contro lin valve, said piston being normally hel in a. preselected position of cut off adjustment by unequal pressure, packing cups at either slde of the piston, and a lubricant cavity in the piston rod communicating with the periphery of the piston intermediate the packing cu s and also with the atmosphere, whereby lu ricant may be supplied to the cylinder and pressure working past the packing cups vented to the atmosphere..

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

MONTAGUE H. ROBERTS. 

